1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disk apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A disk apparatus is known which reproduces information recorded on a disk such as a CD (Compact Disc), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), a BD (BLU-RAY DISC: Registered Trademark) or the like and/or recording information on a disk in the past. Such a disk apparatus as just mentioned has a turntable for contacting with a disk and includes a motor for rotating the disk. The disk apparatus further includes a pickup serving as information reading/recording means for irradiating light as a spot on an information recording face of a rotating disk to record information and detecting reflected light from the disk to read information of the disk.
As such a disk apparatus as described above, a tray type disk apparatus and a slot-in type disk apparatus whose carrying mechanisms of a disk into the inside of a disk apparatus are different from each other are known.
The tray type disk apparatus includes a tray on which a disk is to be placed. The tray is fed into the inside of and carried out from the disk apparatus to carry a disk into the inside and back to the outside of the apparatus body.
On the other hand, in the slot-in type disk apparatus, a disk inserted through an opening for disk accommodation formed on a housing of the disk apparatus in accordance with the size of the disk is carried into the inside and back to the outside of the apparatus.
As one of such slot-in type disk apparatus, a disk apparatus is known which includes arms for carrying a disk as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-251362 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1).
The disk apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 1 includes a pair of sliders provided in the proximity of an opening for disk accommodation (disk insertion and extraction opening) in such a manner as to slidably move in the disk insertion direction to the opening and also in a direction perpendicular to the insertion direction. A pair of arms is provided individually the sliders in an inclined state with respect to the insertion direction of a disk and each has two rotatable rollers at the opposite ends thereof. Each of the arms is provided for pivotal motion around the axis of the roller adjacent the opening such that free end portions of the arms move in directions toward and away from each other.
In the disk apparatus disclosed the Patent Document 1, when a disk inserted through the opening is to be carried, an end edge of the disk is contacted with the rollers provided on the opening side of the arms. Thereupon, the two sliders slidably move in directions to be spaced away from each other in accordance with the diametrical size of the disk. Further, the arms provided on the sliders are pivoted in directions wherein the ends thereof remote from the opening move away from each other while the disk is being dragged. Then, as the sliders slidably move in the disk insertion direction in a state wherein the rollers of the arms grip the disk, the disk is accommodated into the inside of the apparatus.
On the other hand, when the disk is to be carried out, the rollers, arms and sliders move reversely to those upon carrying-in of the disk. Then, the disk is pushed out through the opening.
By such a configuration as described above, the disk apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 1 allows disks, whose diameter sizes are different from each other, to be carried in and carried out appropriately.
Incidentally, in such a slot-in type disk apparatus as described above, the opening for disk accommodation is in a normally open state and a cloth curtain having a cut formed therein is provided so as to cover the opening. The cloth curtain grips a disk carried out through the opening and prevents invasion of dust into the inside of the apparatus.
However, the disk apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 1 has a problem that, since the rollers and the disk move away from each other upon carrying-out of the disk, the disk drops from the opening for disk accommodation. Therefore, it is necessary for a cloth curtain, on which a cut for inserting and extracting a disk therethrough is formed, or the like to be provided for the opening to retain the disk so that the disk may not drop from the opening. However, the disk apparatus has another problem that, since a cloth curtain is abraded by secular change, retaining force for a disk decreases. The disk apparatus further has a problem that, where the disk apparatus is placed in a vertical posture, since the weight of a disk itself has to be supported, the disk is more likely to drop from the opening.
The disk apparatus has a still further problem that, if a cloth curtain is provided for the opening, then the pushing out force for pushing the disk toward the opening is reduced by friction of the cloth curtain, and, if the cut is formed in an enlarged size to prevent reduction of the pushing out force, then dust is likely to invade into the inside of the apparatus through the cut and the opening.
Further, while the opening of such a slot-in type disk apparatus as described above is covered with a cloth curtain, the opening is usually in an open state. Therefore, the disk apparatus further has a yet further problem that invasion of dust into the inside of the disk apparatus may not be prevented with certainty.
Particularly, in a disk apparatus in recent years, it is necessary to rotate a disk at a high speed. Therefore, the disk apparatus has a problem that, if dust or the like advances into the inside of the apparatus, then reading and recording of information from and on a disk may not be performed normally. The disk apparatus has also another problem that, since damage to and failure of a disk or the apparatus become more likely to be caused by invasion of dust, the configuration of the disk apparatus is complicated in that a configuration for removing dust admitted in the inside or the like is requisite.
In addition, in the disk apparatus disclosed in the Patent Document 1, there is the possibility that, if a disk having a small diameter size (for example, a disk whose diameter is 8 cm) is inserted into a position rather near to one end portion of the opening for disk accommodation, then the disk may not be carried appropriately.
In particular, where a disk having a small diameter size is inserted to a substantially central position of the opening for disk accommodation which is formed in accordance with a disk having a large diameter size (for example, a disk whose diameter is 12 cm), the sliders on which the arms are provided move in a direction in which they approach the disk and the rollers of the arms rotate while gripping the disk to carry the disk into the inside of the apparatus. However, there is the possibility that, if the disk whose diameter size is small is inserted to a position rather near to an end of the opening, then the disk may be carried into the inside of the apparatus in a state wherein the disk is gripped by one of the rollers. In such a case as just described, there is the possibility that the disk may not be disposed at a disk chucking position by the turntable and chucking of the disk may not be performed appropriately.